REVELATION 3:14-22 LAODICEA I WILL VOMIT YOU OUT OF MY MOUTH2010 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching Transcript: Revelation 3:14-22 Laodicea I Will Vomit You Out Of My Mouth

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2010.

As we're looking at the book of Revelation, we understand that the book of Revelation is about the things that must shortly take place, the things that are going to happen in the future. We saw in chapter 1 verse 1 that Jesus is revealing to John these things which must shortly take place, the things that are going to happen in the future.

that John would share them with us, that you and I would be familiar with, that we would know and anticipate what is going to happen in this world, what the end days are filled with, or what type of events are going to take place in the last days. And so as we begin our studies on Sunday mornings, I often call you back or I remind you about what those things are, what are the things that must shortly take place.

Well, as we head into chapter 4, we'll be dealing with the rapture of the church. We'll be talking about that today as well. The rapture of the church is when the church of Jesus Christ is caught up to meet the Lord in the air. It's not the second coming. It's separate from that. Instead of Jesus actually setting foot on the earth, we meet him in the clouds to forever be with the Lord. And we'll see that a little bit today as well.

As the church is caught up and taken out of the world, taken out of the picture, the world is going to continue and it's going to go on into seven years of tribulation. It's going to be tribulation like the world has never seen before. Devastation and death and disease and famine just...

Really hard to imagine and as we look at chapters 6 through 19 which describe for us this seven years of tribulation, you'll understand what I mean when it's really unimaginable. It's difficult to describe and to picture the things that are going to be happening in that time. It's going to be like no other time in history.

That seven years of tribulation will come to an end with the return of Jesus Christ. He will come back at the battle of Armageddon as the armies are gathered together. He will come back and put an end to the battle. He'll wipe out the armies that turned against him. He will set foot on the Mount of Olives. And then the scriptures tell us that he will establish his kingdom on the earth for a thousand years.

that for 1,000 years Jesus will rule and reign here on the earth in Jerusalem.

During that thousand years, Satan will be bound in the bottomless pit. He will not be allowed to try to thwart the plan of God and he will not be allowed to wreak havoc as he is doing today. And so it will be a time of peace. It will be a time of renewal as the earth is renewed, as things get restored, as the earth and the vegetation and all of those things are refreshed. It will also be a time of righteousness.

The saints, those who are raptured and caught up, will return with Jesus and rule and reign with Him for that thousand years. And so it's going to be an incredible time, an exciting time of having the Lord rule on the earth for that time period, that millennial kingdom or that thousand years.

At the end of that thousand years though, there's going to be one final rebellion. Satan will be released for a short time at the end of that thousand years and those who were alive during the millennium, they didn't want to follow God, but it will be a time of forced righteousness. They will have an opportunity at that time to rebel against God and he will lead an army of those who want to rebel up into Jerusalem

And God will squash that rebellion. It will not last. And that will bring in the final judgment. It's called the great white throne judgment. At that time, Satan and his demons will be cast into the lake of fire, which is a place of permanent judgment. There's no coming back from there. No second chances. It will be everlasting. It will be eternal. And it will be a place of judgment and torment.

Also, the scripture tells us in Revelation chapter 20 verse 15 that at that time, whoever is not written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire. This great white throne judgment is the final judgment for all who have not walked with God or all who have not received Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. And so it's going to be a difficult time, but it's going to be a permanent time of judgment for eternity.

Revelation chapter 21 describes for us the beginnings of that eternity with a new heavens and a new earth and the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven. And here's the thing.

Hints about what eternity has in store. But of course we understand and we know that what God has in store is really beyond our ability to comprehend. It's beyond our language's ability to express. There's much that God has in store for us for eternity. And we're going to get to experience it firsthand as believers in Jesus Christ.

And so these are the things which must shortly take place. They're going to happen. There's no escaping it. These things will happen. They're going to happen quickly or suddenly without much notice. And we need to be prepared for them. And so in preparation for these things which must shortly take place, Jesus has been spending some time here in chapters 2 and 3 dealing with the church.

If we look at the outline of the book of Revelation, which is found in chapter 1, verse 19, it breaks it out into three parts. The first part...

Jesus tells John to write down the things which he has seen. And that is the vision that John saw in chapter 1. And so that is the things that are past, the things that he has already seen. Then he tells him to write down the things which are. That is the things which are going on presently. And that present began 2,000 years ago as John was writing these things. But that present continues today. He is writing there in regards to the church age and the issues of the church.

And so in chapters 2 and 3, we find this second part of Revelation, which is the part that's dealing with the church. And we'll talk more about that as we go on. And then the third part of the book of Revelation is the things which will take place or the things which must shortly take place. And that's the list I just went through with you. Those things that are going to happen. That's what the rest of the book of Revelation is about. Chapter 4 through the end. Those end times events that are coming up.

And so as we look at these letters, we understand we're making our way towards those future events. But in order to prepare us for that, God is dealing with the church here in chapters 2 and 3. In order to prepare our hearts that we might understand the things that are going to take place, he's writing to us chapters 2 and 3.

In order to prepare us that we might be ready for these events to actually unfold and happen, he is writing to us in chapters 2 and 3. And so these are preparation times. These are for the church to examine our hearts and to get right with God so that we would be ready, that our hearts would be prepared for these future events which must shortly take place.

As we're looking at these seven letters that Jesus wrote to different churches, we've been looking at four different applications of these letters. The first application of the letter is that the letter applies to the church that Jesus was writing to in that time. As John is receiving this revelation, there was literally a church in Philadelphia, it

had the actual conditions that Jesus is describing, and it needed to hear the words that Jesus wrote to it. And so, of course, the letter applies to that church that existed at that time.

But also we understand that these things apply to the global condition of the church at different times throughout history. For the past 2,000 years of church history, worldwide the church has been in general conditions and had general traits that correspond and line up with the things that Jesus is writing to these churches and in order of the way that he ordered the writings to these churches.

And so we'll be looking at that in a couple weeks. We'll come back and kind of do an overview of the seven churches and see how they fit into church history and what that means for us today.

The third application of these letters is that these things apply to individual churches. That this fellowship, Calvary Chapel Living Water, other churches around the world can take these letters, can look and see where their church matches up, where they fit, what kind of church really they relate to or they belong to. And then we can take and apply those things that Jesus is saying to that church so that we can make things right, so that we can be right where He wants us to be.

Well, the fourth application is really where we're focused this morning and on Sunday mornings as we go through these letters. We're looking at personal application. What is God speaking to me personally? What is God speaking to you? What does God want to deal with in our hearts in regards to these things that are happening at the church in Philadelphia? There is something for us to learn and to apply in each of the letters to the churches.

That's why Jesus includes this saying in every letter. He says, He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. God is calling you and I as individuals to pay attention, to listen up to what He is saying to the church, that we would learn what the Holy Spirit is saying to us, that we would allow God to speak to our hearts.

And so as we jump into this letter to the church at Philadelphia, we pick it up in verse 7 where it says, And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write, These things says he who is holy, he who is true, he who has the key of David, he who opens and no one shuts, and shuts, and no one opens.

This church was located in the city of Philadelphia. The name Philadelphia means brotherly love, as you might be familiar with. It was a city that was important because it was on a main highway. It was often called the gateway to the east or the door to the east, which we kind of see a reference to as Jesus talks about the open door that's set before them.

They were a main city on the main route from the coast of Asia Minor, where they were located, eastward on into Rome and Italy in that area. And so it was on a major thoroughfare. It was a lot of commercial traffic going through, a lot of commuters going through there, bringing goods and trading and all of those types of things.

The city was also known as Little Athens, though. It was given that nickname because of the many temples that it had. As you can imagine, as a lot of people were going through this main highway and coming through the city, there was a lot of different gods that they would worship. And so there would be all of these idols and all of these temples that were around the city to accommodate all those people who were passing through. And so there was a lot of false gods. There was a lot of fake worship or false worship.

The city of Philadelphia is also known for its earthquakes. There's been several earthquakes in Philadelphia throughout the years. Around the time when John was writing this, you know, in the previous couple hundred years, there'd been some major earthquakes in the area that leveled the city at least twice. There was two times that are significant where the city was built and established and

And then it was just completely destroyed by earthquakes. And so they were very familiar with that. And some of the language that Jesus is using alludes to that as well. It still exists today, but it's not that prominent. It has a population of about 15,000 to 20,000 people. It's not named Philadelphia any longer. But the location is there and there's still people living there. Now as Jesus is writing to this church, he introduces himself and it's...

A little bit different than the other introductions from the letters that we've been looking at. Normally Jesus is introducing himself with a piece of the vision that we saw in chapter 1. And in a way he is, but he kind of adds a twist to it. So he introduces himself as the one who is holy, the one who is true, the one who has the key of David, the one who opens and no one can shut, and he shuts and no one can open.

He is holy, which means He is separate. He is set apart. He is unique. He is undefiled. There is no one like Jesus. He is unique, the only begotten of the Father. There's no one. There's no prophet like Jesus. There's no great leader like Jesus. Jesus is completely different and far above all others that we might compare Him to.

He's also the one who is true. That's the idea of being genuine or real. He's the real deal.

You know, there in Philadelphia, there was many false gods. There was many false temples to false gods. There was much idolatry that was going on. There were gods that were man-made, that were created by man. Jesus Christ is the only one who is genuine. He really is the unique, original, authentic King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The only one worthy of worship and praise.

He says, and he introduces himself as the one who has the key of David. Now when he talks about a key, the keys, as he made reference to in chapter 1 as well here, are talking about the authority. It's not a literal key, but it's about the authority that he has. In chapter 1, we saw the vision that he had the keys to death and Hades.

Now the keys of death in Hades doesn't mean that he's locking people up, but really that he's setting people free. And that's what he's about. That's why he has the authority. He conquered death. He conquered the grave. He conquered sin so that he can set people free.

Well, here he describes himself as having the key of David. It references back to Isaiah chapter 22, verse 22, where it talks about this guy Eliakim who has the key of the house of David. And this guy with the key will be able to open and no one will shut and will shut and no one will open. And so this guy Eliakim back in Isaiah chapter 22 becomes a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ who is the one who has the key of David.

He's talking about the authority of David or the authority for the house of David or the line of David. What this is really referring to is the fact that he is the Messiah. God had promised David that the Messiah, the Savior of the world, would come through the line of David, through his descendants. And what Jesus is, is a descendant of David that is the Savior of the world. He has the key here.

He has the, maybe you could consider or relate it to the power of attorney for the house of David. He's got all the authority because he is the fulfillment of that promise. He is the Messiah that God declared would come through the line of David. And so Jesus is holy. He is true. He is the Messiah, the Savior of the world. And he has all authority. The doors that he opens, no one can shut. And so Jesus is holy.

No one can come along and say, hey, I have higher authority than you. Close those doors. Jesus has all authority. He reigns on high. He told his disciples in Matthew chapter 28 that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. And so Jesus Christ is one who has all authority. And the doors he opens, no one can shut. And the doors he closes, no one can open.

And so as we look at this letter to this church at Philadelphia, there's five points I want to share with you. Again, focusing on the personal application. And I struggle sometimes because there's so much. I mean, we could spend a lot of time just talking about the open and closed doors. We could spend a lot of time talking about

some of the other things that are brought up within this church. But really, the Lord's put it upon my heart and spoken to us that we really need to focus on the personal application because he's working within our hearts. And so let's look at these five things. The first of which is that we are to keep his word and his name.

You and I are to keep His word and His name. He says in verse 8, I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door and no one can shut it. For you have a little strength, have kept my word and have not denied my name.

Jesus says to the church, I know your works. He says this to each of the churches. He says, look, I know what's happening in your life. I know what's going on in your midst. I know what kinds of things you're involved in. I know what you're up to. As he writes to the church of Philadelphia, he has really some good things to say. He doesn't call them to repent like he does most of the other churches.

And so when he says, I know your works, he's not saying, I know what you're up to and you better repent. He's saying, hey, I know what's going on. You guys are doing good. And he's writing actually to encourage them to continue on. He says, I've set before you an open door and no one can shut it. Again, because he has all authority, no one can shut the doors that Jesus opens. He says, I have this door that I've opened in front of you and nobody can shut it.

Now, what is this door that Jesus set before the church at Philadelphia? Well, if you look at different scholars and different commentators, you'll find varying opinions. I'm kind of the person where, you know, if you set me before a buffet and I get to pick and choose what I want, I want it all. I want everything. And so as I look at the different perspectives on what this door might be, I kind of have the same attitude. I want everything.

Here's the first perspective, that the open door is actually Jesus himself. In John chapter 10 verse 9, Jesus said, I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.

Jesus is the open door of salvation. And that totally fits. Jesus says, I've set before you myself as the door, as the offer of salvation. And nobody can shut that door. Nobody can keep you from me. Nobody can take away the salvation that I offer to you. And so that sounds pretty exciting. That sounds pretty wonderful. Another perspective on the open door, though, is that it's an open door of ministry.

That it's an opportunity to share the gospel. That it's an opportunity to go forth and make disciples as Jesus commanded. We see this reference several times throughout the scripture. One example is 2 Corinthians 2, verse 12.

where Paul says, when I came to Troas to preach Christ's gospel, a door was opened to me by the Lord. It's the idea of there's an opportunity here that God has opened up. He's made a way for me to go through and share the gospel message. And that sounds pretty exciting too. And

Again, it fits. When Jesus sets before you a door of opportunity, no one can shut that door. Even if there's opposition, even if there's antagonism, even if there's regulations or rules or laws, you know, if God calls you to go into China, there's going to be some opposition. But if God is opening that door, nobody can shut that door.

And so that fits and it's appropriate and it's exciting that God would have an open door in front of you for ministry as an opportunity to share the gospel. Well, the third perspective on this open door is that it's an open door into heaven. And you can see that in chapter 4 here in Revelation, verse 1, where we'll get to that in a couple of weeks, but he says, "...after these things I looked up and behold a door standing open in heaven."

And so the door is open into heaven. It's the entrance into heaven. And what God has set before the church at Philadelphia certainly was an entrance into heaven, an entrance into eternity. And no one can take that away. No one can shut that door. No one can close that. And so you can understand, I look at these things and I say, hey, I want all three of those. All three of those are an open door that God has set before us. Because you can't have any of these without the others. You

You cannot have Jesus without heaven and you cannot have Jesus without ministry because the great commission is to make disciples. And so if you are going to go into the open door of salvation through Jesus Christ, you're going to be involved in sharing the gospel and you're going to have an open door into heaven with God, to eternity with God.

Now, if you have the open door into heaven, you can only get there through Jesus Christ. And if you're in Jesus Christ, you will be sharing the gospel message. So you can see these three are intertwined in this open door of salvation in Jesus Christ, that we have the hope and the promise of heaven. And along the way, we get to share the good news. We get to share the gospel and bring as many as will come with us.

And so he says to the church of Philadelphia, see, I've set before you an open door. Nobody can shut it. Nobody can take me away from you. Nobody can remove what I'm doing in your life because he has all authority. He has the key of salvation. He has the key to the house of David.

Now notice what he says though. He says, for you have a little strength. He connects these ideas. The reason why there's this open door that God has set before them is because they have a little strength. Now this is so exciting to me. Do you know what this means? Do you understand what God is saying here, what Jesus is saying to the church? This means that you and I can be like the church at Philadelphia.

Imagine what it would be like if he said, I've set before you an open door, salvation, ministry, eternity, because you have the strength of Samson. Where would that put you and me? Oh man, I'm done for. I can't have that open door in front of me. Salvation, ministry, eternity. Man, that's not available to me. I'm not a Samson-like Christian. I don't have that kind of strength. I don't have that kind of power. I'm not that good person.

But he tells the church of Philadelphia, you have a little strength. You know, this is not something, the open door is not just for super Christians or for the select few. Listen, the door is open for us. Any one of us can have salvation in Jesus Christ. And finding salvation in Jesus, every one of us is expected to evangelize, to share the gospel and be a witness. And having salvation in Jesus Christ also guarantees us the open door in heaven. He says, you have a little strength.

This means that door is open for us as well. It also removes our excuses. We love excuses. We love to blame. You know, we say the reason why we are so involved in compromise is because we're not strong, you know, like the church in Philadelphia. No, they just had a little strength and they were faithful to the Lord.

Even if you just have a little bit of strength, you can be faithful to God. And this door is open to you. You can compare it to what Jesus talked about with faith the size of a mustard seed. Remember He said, look, if you just have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains. God can do great things, incredible things, massive things, with just a little bit of faith and a little bit of strength.

Because it's really not about your strength. It's about God working in you. His strength is made perfect in our weakness. And so the fact that they have a little strength is wonderful news for us. Because it means that this open door is set before us as well. Now, he goes on to describe why this door is open for them. And here's where we learn what we need to apply and what we need to practice. He says, "...you have kept My word."

You've kept my word. This open door is in front of you because you keep my word. The church of Philadelphia was faithful to the word of God. They were faithful to what he had spoken to them. They kept his word. Now the only way that you can keep his word is

is number one, to believe it, and then number two, to obey it. You cannot keep His Word without believing it and without obeying it. The church at Philadelphia was faithful to read the Bible. They were faithful to read the Word of God. They were faithful to teach it, to declare it, to proclaim it. They were faithful to the teachings and doctrines of the Word of God. Some of the other churches that we've studied added on to this.

And started bringing other doctrines that the Bible didn't teach. They brought those doctrines into the church. They weren't faithful. They didn't keep the Word. And some churches cut out pieces of the Word of God. Yeah, we don't like that part. Ooh, that doesn't sound good. We'll take that out. We'll just keep the parts that we like. No, they kept the Word of God. They kept it. Held to it. The teachings of the Word of God. They were reading it. They were teaching it. They were believing it.

And they were obedient to it. That's the only way to keep the Word of God. You can't pick and choose. It's not a buffet. Again, you have to take it all, right? The open door has all three applications. You have to take it all. The whole Word of God. What it says about eternity and sin and your condition and believing in Jesus Christ and He's the only way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but through Him. Do you keep His Word? If He was writing this letter to you, dear Robert,

I've set before you an open door because you've kept my word. Are you faithful to read and to teach and to believe and to obey the things that are contained here in the word of God? Jesus said in John chapter 14, verse 23 and 24, If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. The opposite of that, he says, he who does not love me does not keep my words. Our obedience...

Our believing the Word of God is directly tied to our love of Jesus Christ. When we love Jesus, we're keeping His Word. If we're keeping His Word, it's because we love Jesus. If we don't keep His Word, it's because we don't love Him. And if we don't love Him, we don't keep His Word. Are you keeping the Word of God? The door of heaven is open to those who keep His Word. The door of salvation is open to those who will keep His Word.

He says, you have kept my word. And he says, you have not denied my name. Just like everywhere else, there was pressure in Philadelphia to deny Jesus, both in word, to renounce him, to proclaim something else that Caesar is Lord, that they were pressured to do or the Roman government wanted them to do. But they would not renounce him in word or in action. They were living out their lives in

as a testimony to Jesus Christ. They were in obedience to the Word of God. Verse 9, He says, Indeed, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie. Indeed, I will make them come and worship before your feet and to know that I have loved you.

So here we find that there was some opposition there in Philadelphia and it was by the Jewish population. They were of the synagogue, God describes it, of Satan. That is that they were Jewish by heritage, they were Jewish by nationality, but they weren't Jewish because they rejected Jesus Christ as the Messiah. And so he says they say that they're Jews, they are nationally Jews, but they're not really my followers because they've rejected my Savior that I've sent.

And so this opposition that they faced by those who claimed to be the people of God, but in reality were not, God says, I'm going to deal with them, and they're going to come and to worship before your feet. Now that doesn't mean they were going to worship the church at Philadelphia, but that before the church at Philadelphia, in their presence, those people who opposed the church would be worshiping God.

That it would be part of God's judgment or part of God's dealing with them. They say that they're God's people, but they're really not. And they're going to have to acknowledge that in the presence of the church at Philadelphia.

And so they're denying the Messiah, but then they're going to acknowledge the Messiah on their knees before God in the presence of the church of Philadelphia. They're going to worship God before them. They're going to acknowledge their sin in front of Philadelphia. And so there is opposition, but God's going to deal with it in His timing.

But we see here that they kept his word and his name. The second point of application that we find is in verse 10, and that is to persevere. Verse 10 says, He says, He says,

And because of that, I'm going to keep you from the hour of trial. Some amazing promises that Jesus is giving here. This word persevere, it means to endure circumstances joyfully. It's to endure difficulty, but maintaining joy throughout the time. It's a joyful endurance.

Now listen, you need to understand, we're not claiming, I'm not claiming that the Christian life is easy. I'm not saying that, you know, you follow Christ, you enter in the door of salvation of Jesus Christ that is open before you, and then it's like easy street. You have extra money in your pocket all the time, and you know, your job is just wonderful, you get promotions. No, no, no, no, no. The Christian life is tough.

The Christian life is difficult. The Christian life will require perseverance. You're going to have to endure difficult circumstances and maintain joy throughout. Many times we don't like that. We complain about how things are tough. And I liken it to a marathon. To complain that the Christian life is not easy is like signing up to run a marathon and then complaining that the marathon is long.

That's what you signed up for. You knew that when you were getting into it. Remember we talked about that last week, to count the cost. Jesus says, look, if anyone wants to follow me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. And if you don't do that, you cannot be my disciple. Signing up, I want to be a Christian. Understand, you're saying,

Life is going to be tough. Things are going to be difficult here. I'm going to have to persevere and endure. But it's okay. It's worth it because the hope of eternity with God, the hope of heaven, what God has in store for me is worth it. It's far better. It doesn't matter what I go through on this earth. It doesn't matter what I experience. He says, you've kept my command to persevere. You're going through difficulty, but you're enduring it joyfully.

You're maintaining your joy because our joy and our peace is not based upon these life's circumstances. We're going to have problems. We're going to have trouble. It's going to be hard and you will be required to endure. Jesus said in John 16, 33, in the world you will have tribulation. You can count on that. You will have trouble. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world.

Jesus overcame the world. Our joy and our peace is in Jesus, not in our circumstances, but in His promises and in what He has in store for us. Listen, if you want to keep His word, like the church at Philadelphia, understand that it will be hard and you will be required to endure. You will have to persevere. It's going to be tough.

But Jesus gives a promise. He says, because you've endured, because you've persevered, listen, I will keep you from the hour of trial. Jesus' promise here is that those who endure right now, they will not be required to endure the tribulation.

Those who endure and persevere right now, they will not have to persevere and endure through the tribulation period, through the hour of trial. This hour of trial is a reference to the seven years of tribulation that we'll be getting into as we head into chapter 6 of Revelation. This hour of trial is completely different than anything else that the world has ever seen. It will not be what it was like in LA during the riots. It

It will not be what it was like during the Holocaust in Germany or Europe. It will not be like the Dark Ages. It will not be like World War I or World War II. This time of tribulation will be the worst thing that the world has ever seen. Completely different than what we've experienced before. The tribulation period will be God pouring out His wrath upon the earth.

The tribulation that we face today, the tribulation that we endure presently, it's not the wrath of God. Maybe the work of the enemy, it's definitely the results of sin, but it's not the wrath of God. But during that seven-year tribulation, it's going to be the wrath of God being poured out upon the earth. And so this is an incredible promise. Jesus says, look, you're persevering, you're enduring right now through these light afflictions, Paul called them, and so I'm going to keep you from the heavy ones.

I'm going to keep you from the really difficult days that are coming, from that hour of trial that's coming on the earth. I'll keep you from the tribulation. Jesus here is really speaking about the rapture of the church. There in 1 Thessalonians 4, 16 and 17, he tells us, "...the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first."

The promise of Jesus to those who endure and persevere right now is that you will not endure the tribulation, the hour of trial that will come upon the whole world. And whether that means that you die ahead of time, before the tribulation starts,

you go to be in the presence of Jesus, listen, you've escaped. You haven't had to endure the tribulation. Or whether it means you live right up to the days of the tribulation and then you're raptured. God catches you up to meet with Him in the air, in the clouds, with those who have gone before you, those who have died. Either way, His promise is you won't have to endure that time because you're enduring right now. You're persevering right now. You see, God's faithful church does not go through the tribulation.

We're taken out of the picture before the tribulation. When he says, I'm going to keep you from the hour of trial, that keep you from, it means I'm going to keep you out of. Not that I'm going to preserve you through it, but I'm going to take you out of it. Notice he says the hour of trial. He's talking about the time period of the trial, not just the trial itself. And so he's talking about the rapture. He's catching us up. He's taking us out of that whole time period. We're not going to be around. That's going to be the time period

of trouble for the earth. His faithful church will be out of the picture. And it's not just a local or, you know, trouble or tribulation for a specific region. He says it's going to come upon the whole world. This is a global event unlike anything the world has ever seen before. Now does this make you want to be like the church at Philadelphia? You want to be given this promise that since you persevere right now, then you will not have to endure the tribulation? No.

As we're looking at these letters to the churches, the last four churches really have a reference to this tribulation period and the relationship of the church to it. The church at Thyatira, they were a compromising church. They had false doctrine that they had embraced. Jesus says, look, if you don't repent, I'm going to cast you into the tribulation. Revelation chapter 2 verse 22. The church of Sardis, we dealt with them last week in chapter 3, 1 through 6.

They were asleep. They weren't watching. They weren't paying attention. They had a name that they were alive, but they were dead. And Jesus said, look, you're going to be left behind if you don't wake up. If you don't start watching, if you don't start paying attention. Revelation 3.3 says that. Next week, as we get into the church of Laodicea, they're a lukewarm church. And Jesus says, I'm going to spew you out of my mouth because you're neither hot nor cold. Three out of the four churches, these last four churches, they don't go into the rapture of the church. They're not included. They're not included.

Perhaps individuals, the select few like we've talked about, the remnant from those churches will be part, but as a whole, those churches will be enduring and persevering through the tribulation period. Don't think that you're okay just because you attend a church. Are you keeping His word? Are you persevering? The promise is for those who persevere, those who persevere right now will not have to endure that tribulation.

Again, does it make you want to be like the Church of Philadelphia? Do you want to be raptured? Do you want to not have to endure that tribulation period? Number one, keep His word. Number two, persevere. Number three, hold fast what you have. Verse 11. He says, Behold, I'm coming quickly. Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He says, I'm coming and I'm coming quickly. So hold fast.

I like this exhortation. He says, I'm coming quickly. Now, this is something Jesus says often. He warned us to be watching, to be waiting, to be ready. In Revelation chapter 22, twice He says, Behold, I am coming quickly. He wants us to know it's going to be quick. It's going to be sudden. It's going to be without notice.

There is nothing that stands in the way of Christ returning for His church. There's nothing that must take place in order for the rapture to happen. There's not one prophetic event that you say, oh, the rapture can't happen today because this hasn't happened yet. There are things that may happen. There's possibilities these things might be fulfilled. But God's laid out His timeline very specifically. And some things are in certain order and they will not happen until something else happens. But the rapture of the church...

God has left it so that at any moment, at any time, any instant, He can catch up His church to be with Him.

And for us as believers, that's a reason for joy. It's a reason for hope. Paul said, comfort one another with these words. It's something we look forward to. It's a reason to be ready. He says, hold fast what you have. Here's how we comfort one another. Yeah, I know it's tough. Yeah, I know you're enduring difficulty. Yeah, I know you've got problems and issues and opposition. And man, things are hard. But hang on just a little bit longer because Jesus is coming quickly.

Very soon you're going to be with Him. Soon and very soon we're going to see the King. We're going to be with Him. We're going to get to experience all that He has in store for us for eternity. So hold fast. Hang in there for just a little bit longer. This idea of holding fast.

It's the idea of having a death grip on something. If you've ever been with Pastor Cisco, right now the Harvest Crusades are going on, right? And Saturday night's the crazy night, it's the youth night. And if you're in the upper stands at the Harvest Crusade on a Saturday night, you'll know what I'm talking about. Those stands, as the bands are playing and they're kind of getting the crowd worked up, those stands begin to rock and roll. You know, it's the idea of having a death grip on something.

even if it's rap that they're playing. The stands begin to shake and to move inches. I mean, you can really feel it. It's like you're swaying like crazy. And it's quite an intense feeling. But Pastor Sisko, he gets so freaked out. And in those times, he holds fast.

And you cannot move him. You will not be able to get him out of that chair. You won't be able to push him down the aisle. Even if you had seven guys on him, you would not be able to move him. He's got a death grip so that he is not moved because those things freak him out. In the same way, if you get him near a cliff or anything like that, he holds fast to the rail. You can't move him even if you try. And I've tried. Believe me, I've tried.

But he holds fast. That's the idea. Maybe you can relate. That idea of just those things that cause you just to hold on and you will not let go. That's what Jesus is saying here. Hold fast. Hold on to that which you have because I'm coming soon. Just hang in there a little bit longer, he's saying. Because soon you're going to be with me. He has no correction, no command to repent for this church. Were they perfect? No, of course not.

They were doing pretty good though. They were walking with the Lord and Jesus says, look, stay there. Don't be moved. Don't get arrogant. Don't get complacent. Stay the course. Hold fast to Jesus. Hold fast to the Word. Hold fast to your walk with God. Endure and persevere. And He gives us this exhortation because there's a danger of moving away. There's a danger of drifting off. He says that no one may take your crown.

You see, there's a danger of missing out on what God has for you. God has some incredible things in store for you. And He doesn't want you to miss out. He doesn't want you to lose out on anything that He has for you. He wants what's best for you. And that's why He says, hold fast, hang in there a little bit longer. Don't miss out on what I have for you. Are you holding fast to Jesus?

I'm not talking about the past. Often we can look at the past and we say, wow, look at that time, man. I was holding fast. Look at that. I prayed that prayer. I did that work. I was doing great things. And then sometimes we look ahead, right? Well, once I get this accomplished in my life, once I get over this area, then I'll be able to really commit myself to the Lord like I really want to.

We look at the past, we look at the future, but what about the present? Are you holding fast right now? Because right now, in the present, Jesus says, I'm coming quickly. Hang on. Hold fast. Don't be moved. Stay faithful to God. Be fully committed to Him right now. So He says, hold fast what you have. And then number four,

overcome overcome whatever is holding you back overcome verse 12 says he who overcomes I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God and he shall go out no more I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God the new Jerusalem which comes down out of heaven from my God and I will write on him my new name there's a lot of things like I said we can get into here but let me kind of summarize it he says look I'm going to make you a permanent part of my eternal work

This was significant to the church at Philadelphia because...

Like I said, they had several earthquakes that destroyed the city a couple times. And many of the residents, as a result, they moved outside of the city and they were fearful to move back in. After the city was rebuilt, they were like, I don't want to go back in there. People died. There was devastation as a result of the things that happened, the earthquake that took place. And so there was some who would not go back in. They were fearful. And so they set up a new home outside of the city in the city walls.

Jesus says, look, I'm going to make you a pillar in the temple of my God and he shall go out no more. You don't need to be afraid and to live outside of the city. I'm going to make you a pillar. I'm going to establish you. You're going to be rock solid. There'll be no need to be removed. No need for fear. Listen, God wants you to be an important part of his eternal plan.

You know the phrase, this person's a pillar in the community, or this person's a pillar in the church. The idea is that they provide stability, they're reliable, they're always there. You can trust on them, you can count on them. They're an important part of the work that's going on. Jesus says, look, I have a place for you that's an important part of the work I'm going to be doing. A permanent part of what I'm going to accomplish. To the one who overcomes, you get to be God.

Part of that. So much so, and so much will be part of His work that He's going to write on us the name of the Father, the name of the city of Jerusalem, and His own name. We're going to be His. We're going to be part of His work, part of His plan. He's got incredible things in store for us to those who overcome. And that's the key. Are you overcoming? What's holding you back? What's keeping you from keeping the Word of God?

What's keeping you from believing the Word of God and obeying it? What's keeping you from holding fast to Jesus Christ? What's keeping you from persevering and enduring the difficulties that you're going through with joy? What's holding you back? What's keeping you? He says, if you overcome, I have an important place for you in eternity. Point number five, hear what the Spirit says. Verse 13 says, He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. This command, we've seen it six times now.

to listen up, to pay attention. God's speaking to you. He wants you to hear. He wants you to know these things so that you would apply them to your life, that you would be impacted and that you would be changed. You know, when it comes to the Christian life, you cannot blame anything else for your faithfulness or lack of faithfulness to God. You cannot blame your environment. You cannot blame your circumstances. You cannot blame your situation and point to that and say, that's why.

I'm not the kind of Christian I should be. We can't. The responsibility falls upon us. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Listen, the church at Philadelphia had persecution. They weren't a faithful church only because everything was easy and they had no opposition. In the same way, we can't say, well, I would be, but, you know, it's just really difficult. There's all this opposition. My family and my friends, and they don't like these kinds of things, and so I don't talk about it. I don't like to...

There was opposition in Philadelphia. They weren't faithful just because it was easy. They were faithful even in the midst of opposition. The city was also full of idolatry. You know, sometimes Christians, we think to ourselves, you know, I would be a much better Christian if just there wasn't so much temptation around me. We think, wow, you know, it's 2010, all of the technology just, it makes it all available. And so, you know, I would be a Christian like that. I would be a Philadelphian Christian, but...

There's just all this temptation. And if they had this kind of temptation, they wouldn't have been faithful either. No, it was a city full of idolatry. There was plenty of opportunity. The temptation is the same. It doesn't change. The means and the method of temptation, for sure, those change. The technology, yeah, it changes the way that temptation is brought to our door. But it doesn't change the temptation. We can't blame modern technology for our compromise. We can't blame those things for...

our lifestyle of sin. You can't say, well, you know, I would be an awesome Christian, but I just don't have that much strength. Again, we look at Philadelphia, they just had a little strength. That's all it takes. That's all it takes. That's what God's looking for. Do you want to be like the church of Philadelphia? Do you want to be watching and ready that when the rapture takes place, you'll be included. You'll be part of it. We need to be like this church. We need to keep His word, to hold fast to it, to believe it, to obey it, to base our lives off of it,

to not stray from it. We need to persevere. Don't give up because it's hard. Don't give up because it's difficult. Don't give up because you're tired. Hang in there. Keep the faith. Trust in God. He'll carry you through. Hold fast to what you have. Jesus is coming back soon. He's coming back quickly. Hang in there. Hold on. Have a death grip on the things of God, on your commitment to God. Don't waver.

Don't be wishy-washy. Overcome those things that are in your life. Overcome those obstacles that are before you. Overcome those sins that so easily beset you. Hear what the Spirit is saying to you this day. The worship team is going to come up and close us in a song. And as they do, I would encourage you to consider where do you stand with Jesus right now? You know, eternity is real. And you are going to spend eternity somewhere. But you get to choose where.

One place or the other. Eternity with God or eternity apart from God. Now as we consider eternity, of course, every one of us, we want to go to heaven. But what is the basis for your expectation of going to heaven?

Are you basing your expectation on, well, I have a lot of good works. My good deeds outweigh my bad deeds and that's why I'm expecting to go to heaven. Are you expecting to go to heaven because you come to church? Are you expecting to go to heaven because you pray the prayer? What is the basis for your expectation? Jesus says, look, I'm coming back for those who keep my word. To keep his word begins with believing in him alone.

and receiving the offer of forgiveness and salvation and eternal life that He has for us. Our expectation of heaven can only be based upon the finished work of Jesus Christ and our relationship with Him. And so I want to give you this opportunity as we worship the Lord together, use it as an opportunity to allow God to check your heart, to check where you stand as far as a relationship with Jesus is concerned. Are you forgiven? Are you keeping His word? Are you walking with Him?

There's going to be some of us up in the front as they lead us in this song. We'll be available. If you would like prayer, maybe if you've not been forgiven of your sin, maybe if you've never made that statement that, yes, I want to believe in Jesus Christ, I want to receive the offer of salvation that He's offered to me, I'm willing to keep His word and to turn from sin and to walk with Him.

If you want to make that statement today, if you want to turn and receive Jesus Christ, we'll be up here. We'd love to pray with you, give you a Bible and encourage you in what God is speaking to your heart. Maybe you've been away for a while. You walked with Him at a time, but you haven't held fast. You want to get back. You want to get right. We'll be up here. We'd love to pray with you and agree with you as well in what God is speaking to your heart. Listen, if you're willing to walk with God, if you want to get right with God,

and you want some help you want some prayer come on up during this song as they're leading us just be free to come on up let's worship the lord together and allow him to bring us into right relationship with him we pray you have been blessed by this bible teaching the power of god to change a life is found in the daily reading of his word visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and bible study resources